NIH hospital board criticizes Health Secretary Kennedy for politicizing vaccine injury research

The board overseeing the National Institutes of Health research hospital issued a unanimous rebuke of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of politicizing the hospital's work and undermining public trust in science.

The board's chair, Jack Leslie, expressed concern during the quarterly meeting about Kennedy's unannounced visit to the NIH. During this visit, Kennedy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Vaccine Injury Center and led a roundtable with patients claiming vaccine injuries, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Leslie acknowledged that serious vaccine injuries are rare but real and require rigorous research. However, he criticized the signs displayed during the roundtable reading "Vaccine Injured," saying they suggested a predetermined conclusion to the research.

Kennedy has stated the government must listen to patients and families reporting vaccine injuries. Leslie countered that if the research finds harm, it may be dismissed due to Kennedy's known skepticism of vaccines, and if no harm is found, the clinic could be seen as a sham, leaving the public distrustful.

The board emphasized that the NIH Clinical Center's reputation depends on public confidence that its research seeks truth rather than confirming pre-existing conclusions. Leslie warned that trust in science is slow to build and quick to lose.